Herbs

CBD oil is a hot topic these days. The one thing that the internet is known for is its love of trends. We love to learn about the latest in fashion, child rearing, and house decoration. We scour blogs, and Youtube and Pinterest to absorb all of the information and incorporate it into our lives. More than we love any trend though, we love health trends. Anything that will help us concentrate, be in less pain and lose weight has our full attention. We are always on the lookout for the next big thing, whether it be a weight loss tea, essential oil or a supplement. With that said, let me introduce you to the next big thing: CBD oil. It is becoming more and more popular and has some health benefits you won’t want to ignore. Here is your guide to CBD oil for beginners.

CBD Oil For Beginners

What Is CBD Oil?

When it comes to CBD oil, for beginners, you must become familiar with some new vocabulary. First, CBD stands for cannabidiol oil. This is a substance found in cannabis products along with its more familiar substance, THC. Unlike THC, the chemical properties in CBD products do not produce the high that you are accustomed to associating with cannabis products. That opens the use of CBD products up to people who are otherwise unable to try cannabis because the use of THC isn’t safe for them. CBD products come in many of the same forms we customarily see other cannabis products in, such as a liquid that can be vaped, a liquid that can be used sublingually (under the tongue), creams and lotions, and baked into edible products. This gives you a wide variety of ways to experience CBD for the first time.

Is CBD Oil legal to use?

In the majority of states, CBD use is legal. As
always, you want to check the particular rules of your state to determine if
the use of CBD s legal for you. The lack of THC, which is the psychoactive
ingredient in marijuana means that you don’t get high, making it an easier sell
for lawmakers who are concerned about people abusing cannabis. That legality
means you can purchase CBD without going through the process of approval for a
medical marijuana card if your state has such a program available.

What does CBD Oil Do? Is it a scam?

There is still research being conducted to teach us more about how CBD oil works and what it can do for our long term, but here is the quick and dirty version. In your body, there is a system called the endocannabinoid system that helps to regulate systems in your body that control things like pain, or digestive issues, or anxiety. That system uses cannabinoids to improve function. High stress and illness can deplete those cannabinoid stores, and that is when issues with our bodies can begin. The use of CBD products restores the cannabinoids and seems to offer people relief from those issues. Anyone wanting to use CBD for a specific medical condition should make check with their physician.

What are the effects and health benefits of CBD Oil?

If you’re just learning about CBD oil for
beginners, you might not know the wide range of symptoms that CBD can help to
relieve. There are many ailments that CBD can cover, some that may surprise
you. For instance, CBD is helpful if you suffer from the symptoms of PTSD,
anxiety, or depression. It can also help with nausea from cancer treatment.
Speaking of nausea, there are many people who use CBD to help with the pain and
irritation of many digestive disorders. If you suffer from chronic pain, CBD
can help to fight the inflammation that may be at the root of your pain.

What do I do next?

For starters, find out if it is legal in your state (click here for more information on the legalities of CBD per state). If you have a chronic condition that you’d like to try using CBD oil as treatment, you’ll want to consult your physician. Not all doctors are familiar so be prepared to bring in your own research! One of the most important things you should know when it comes to CBD oil for beginners is that you have to be concerned about quality. No two products are alike. Learn how to access the qualities and properties you need in a CBD product and proceed forward. You’re going to do great.

Recommended CBD Oil Products

When in comes to CBD oils and products, not all are created equal. I did a lot of research before deciding on Joy Organics, which I highly recommend.

Growing basil in your garden, raised beds, in a pot or even indoors, is easier than you might think! Having fresh basil anytime you want is great for your kitchen and even has some medicinal purposes. Today we’re talking everything you need to know about growing basil! The only problem I’ve ever had growing basil is using it all!

Growing Basil Everything You Need To Know

Growing Basil Varieties

Before we get into the nitty gritty about growing basil in your garden, let’s talk basil varieties. There are types of basil you may never have even heard of, but you should considering adding them to your herb garden.

Purple Basil – a stunning addition to any garden! The fragrant basil has gorgeous purple leaves. It is perfect for vinegars and as a garnish. It will do very well in a pot or small garden. Get Seeds for Purple Basil Here

Greek Basil – one of the most hardy herbs I’ve ever grown! It has a strong flavor and is great for seasoning a variety of dishes. It is widely used by chefs. Smaller leaves than a traditional basil. Get Seeds for Greek Basil Here

Lemon Basil – this basil has a lovely lemony flavor and a little goes a long way! I love it for chicken dishes. Very easy to grow indoors or outdoors. Get Seeds for Lemon Basil Here

Purple Basil – a stunning addition to any garden! The fragrant basil has gorgeous purple leaves. It is perfect for vinegars and as a garnish. It will do very well in a pot or small garden. Get Seeds for Purple Basil Here

Greek Basil – one of the most hardy herbs I’ve ever grown! It has a strong flavor and is great for seasoning a variety of dishes. It is widely used by chefs. Smaller leaves than a traditional basil. Get Seeds for Greek Basil Here

Lemon Basil – this basil has a lovely lemony flavor and a little goes a long way! I love it for chicken dishes. Very easy to grow indoors or outdoors. Get Seeds for Lemon Basil Here

Growing Basil Soil Requirements

Basil is a fairly easy herb to grow with very little soil requirements. Make sure your soil in enriched with some good compost, plenty of drainage with a pH of 6 or 7 ( what is soil pH? ).

Growing Basil Planting

I prefer to start my basil plants indoors and transfer them to my raised beds or pots when the soil will stay warm. When starting seeds you only want to lightly cover with soil and keep the soil moist during germination. You can certainly start your basil with an established transplant from a garden store as well. Basil should be planted where it will get at least 6 hours of sun and 12 to 18 inches apart. I have found the more space you give basil, the bigger it gets!

Caring for Growing Basil

Your growing basil should need little to no additional fertilizer as it a light feeder. It likes moist soil but do not let it get soaked too often because this can lead to root rot and fungus. Basil can occasionally have pests like aphids but generally the biggest issue with growing it is making sure the soil isn’t soaking wet for too long.

Growing Basil in Containers or Indoors

Basil will do very well in a container. Make sure your pot can accommodate a large basil plant. The pot should have good drainage as well and be set in an area that gives it the 6 – 8 hours of required sunlight. You can grow more than one variety of basil in a single container if it is quite large.

You can also grow basil indoors! Again you’ll want a larger pot with good drainage. Keep your indoor basil where it will get adequate sunlight – in a windowsill or near a sliding glass door should work if sun comes in for at least 6 hours there.

Your basil plant may require re-potting because they grow quickly and get large. Keep an eye on it.

Harvesting Basil From Your Garden

One of the most wonderful thing about growing basil is the ability to continually harvest the leaves! You’ll want to harvest your basil when you plant is over 6 inches tall and has some leaves to spare. Simply pinch the leaves, gently, from the stem. You can also use scissors but I find pinching goes much faster. You should also pinch off flowers from your basil plant to keep it producing leaves. Pinching the flowers will also encourage the plant to get fuller as well.

You’ll want to harvest all the basil leaves before your first frost! Don’t worry, it is an annual so it will come back!

Storing the Fresh Basil

Once you’ve harvested your basil you’ll need to store what you do not immediately use.

Keep Fresh Basil in your fridge is best done by putting them in a mason jar and covering them loosely with a plastic bag. This should keep them fresh for a week or so.

Drying and Dehydrating Basil is great for large batches of basil. There are several methods to accomplish this task. See Drying Your Herbs

Freezing basil is a wonderful way to preserve the fresh flavor! Wash the leaves then blend in a food processor with just enough water to make it a puree. Pour the basil puree in to ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen you can pop them out and put them in food storage bags for later use. I recommend using silicone ice trays for this task.

How to Use Fresh Basil

Most people think pesto when it comes to fresh basil. And pesto is amazing! But you can use it to make infused oils, in your salads, as a pizza topping, and to add lovely flavor to chicken and seafood dishes. Using fresh basil will always give you the most flavor; much more than dried basil.

Growing Borage may be the single best thing you do for your home and garden this year! Growing Borage is fairly easy and it is a powerful herb for healing and companion planting. And if that isn’t reason enough, growing Borage adds a touch of whimsy and beauty to any garden. It never fails to attract friends and family that wander out to my garden. I want to show you how to grow Borage, without it taking over; and using it effectively for your home, health and garden.

Growing Borage For Home Health and Garden

How to Grow Borage…wait what is Borage?

Borage is an herbal plant with bright blue flowers. This Mediterranean native herb also sometimes called a starflower, bee bush or bee bread. It is used in medicinal purposes as well as many garden uses….

Growing mint – today were talking everything you need to know about growing and using this amazing herb. Mint was one of the first herbs that I planted in my garden. Not only do I love the flavor of mint, it has some great medicinal and “homestead” uses.

This perennial herbs is generally very hardy…sometimes so much it takes over the area that it is growing in. I prefer to grow it in a large fabric pot on the patio but it will do very well in raised beds as well. But it is important to know that mint plants send runners out and often you won’t even see them jumping the bed their planted in until they start growing somewhere else. I don’t let that stop you from growing mint – it is an wonderful addition to home and garden!

Everything You Need to Know About Growing Mint

Let’s grow herbs in a pot! Have you seen the price of fresh organic herbs in the grocery store lately? It is insane. Why buy a few cuttings when you can grow a nearly endless supply of your own fresh herbs? Herbs are pretty easy to grow and add wonderful fresh flavor, can be dehydrated and have medicinal uses in addition to culinary.

The 10 Easiest Herbs To Grow in a Pot

When you have limited growing space, like we do, you need to add containers to increase it. I especially love to grow herbs in pots because they can so often take over my raised beds. So today I bring you the 10 easiest herbs to grow in a pot. Put them in your garden, on your patio some some can be grown indoors (see this post on growing herbs indoors).

Greek Basil In One of My Raised Beds

I often see herbs grown in tiny containers but if you want a big, flourishing, plant give them at least a gallon or more. Consider adding mulch to your containers too….

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